October 18 Friday 2002
County crowds rising

LONDON: A five-year decline in county cricket attendances was turned on its head during the last English summer, according to a new survey.

Chief executives at 11 of the 18 counties told Wisden Cricket Monthly that crowd sizes had gone up since 2001. Four others said attendances were unchanged last season, while only Durham and Northamptonshire reported a drop in numbers. 

The findings suggest that county cricket is bucking a five year trend that saw a 17 per cent decline in spectators during that period. "The most radical change is the introduction of promotion and relegation," said former arwickshire player and coach Bob Woolmer. "It is rekindling intensity levels and generating higher standards. I sense an increase in public interest. Get the bug and cricket is addictive."

But Woolmer picks up on a point expressed by Middlesex CCC Chief Executive Vinny Codrington that the one-day game attracts larger crowds than the longer version. "It is obvious why four-day cricket struggles to attract spectators," said Woolmer. "It is because people cannot afford to take time off in midweek."